Affordable Higher Education

A college degree is practically a necessity these days, not only for the individual student, but for the economic and social health of the country. But as states cut budgets, and grant aid has diminished, students are relying on loans to pay for college.

It has not always been this way. Twelve years ago only one-third of college graduates from four year public colleges needed to borrow money to attain a college degree and graduates who borrowed carried around $12,000 of debt on average. Today more than two-thirds of graduates have federal student loan debt and carry over $23,000 on average. The percentage of students with $25,000 worth of private student loan debt has increased, from 5% in 1996 to 24% in 2008.

A college degree must remain within reach for families of modest means, and affordable over the long term for the borrowers and parents in repayment. We work to increase student grant aid, make debt levels more manageable, and protect students as consumers from practices that contribute to educational debt.

We need robust grant programs on a state and federal level, a simpler system of student aid that actively encourages student and parental participation, and stronger safeguards for student borrowers in repayment.

Also, we can lower student debt by protecting student consumers. College students pay unjustifiably high amounts for college textbooks each year. And those who rely on credit and debit cards to help offset day to day costs of education, or to access their financial aid disbursements, can get slapped with penalty fees and terms that take advantage of them.

Issue Updates

Student government leaders of the undersigned colleges and universities write to Congress on the urgent need to address the skyrocketing price of textbooks, and a request to create a national open textbook pilot grants program in the FY18 appropriations bill.

Joined by Senators Al Franken (D-MN) and Angus King (I-ME), Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin reintroduced a bill titled “Affordable College Textbook Act” to “expand the use of open college textbooks" with PIRG Higher Education Advocate Kaitlyn Vitez.

Today, 576 organizations and institutions of higher education sent a letter to Congress asking them to protect federal student aid as they finish up FY17 appropriations and start working on FY18. U.S PIRG worked in a large coalition representing students, institutions, educators, advocates, and employers to draft and circulate the letter of support. The letter comes after calls by President Trump to cut the Pell grant reserve by a combined $5.2 billion in FY17 and FY18 and multiple proposals in Congress to cut a portion of the Pell grant reserve.

Rutgers University and the New Jersey Public Interest Research Group (NJPIRG) Students have been working in conjunction to help lower the financial burden of college students. Over the two years the program has been running, $1.6 million has been saved by students."